Implant systems of today attempt to restore the patient to normal function, comfort, aesthetic, speech and health regardless of the current oral condition. These implant systems are based on the implantation of dental implants, such as dental implants made of biocompatible titanium or any other dental material, through insertion into the patient's jawbone. There are many methods to attach a dental superstructure to an implant, where one example is the use of dental cement. Other examples are methods that are based on the use of a screw means, where these screw members can attach the superstructure to the implant, either directly or via spacers.
When a patient has been without tooth/teeth for a period of time, the jawbone starts to degenerate, since the jawbone is not under strain from masticatory forces. This results in less bone material for the proper anchoring of a dental implant. To find enough bone for optimal implantation, the dental implant sometimes has to be angled so that the longitudinal axis of the dental implant projects out of the mouth.
Fixing a superstructure with dental cement is complicated due to various factors such as varied drying time of the cement, difficulties in fixating the superstructure while the dental cement is drying, and problems related to adjusting a dental superstructure once the dental cement has dried. If a screw means is used, it necessitates that the mouth of the screw channel is placed on a visual surface of the dental superstructure. Also, the optimum placement of the implant, due to the present dental situation, often results in a non-optimal placement of the dental superstructure in terms of the patients aesthetics, phonetics and bite. Furthermore, it is complicated to manufacture superstructures adapted for dental implants with diverting securing angles, since spacers and/or integrated spacers have to be exactly configured in respect of the different angles of the dental implants. This may also result in a complicated mounting procedure of the superstructure, if two closely located dental implants deviant directions.
The means already known in the art for achieving this goal include the use of angled spacers and dental superstructures attached to the implant with adhesive or with other techniques not based on the use of a screw member. The angled spacers have many drawbacks and are characterized by adding significant height to the superstructure. It also results in an increased complexity of the attachment of the superstructure to the implant.
Furthermore, when an implant has already been implanted, and a satisfactory osseointegration of the implant has been obtained, it would be of great damage to exchange such an implant with another implant, better suited for attachment of structures or spacer elements needed in changed circumstances for the patient. This may be the case if the patient is in need of some kind of reconstruction of the dental structure, such as for example in case of loosing yet another tooth. In this case it would be better to have a dental implant better suited for adaptation in respect of other implants, spacer elements, and/or superstructures in the mouth of the patient.
Hence, an improved fastening system for dental implant and superstructure would be advantageous, and in particular a fastening system allowing for a good fit of the dental implant and the superstructure to the gum. Furthermore, a simpler, faster and cheaper production method of the fastening system as well as cost-effectiveness, more simple assembly allowing for greater freedom of placement of a dental implant would be advantageous. This enables use of an implant that could be placed optimally with regard to the dental situation, i.e. the anatomy of the jawbone, while still allowing the dental superstructure to be applied in an optimal way to the implant.